hemisphere

A hemisphere is half of a sphere, or ball. People use the word to describe one half of Earth. Geographers, or people who study Earth, have divided the planet into two sets of two hemispheres. These are the Northern and Southern hemispheres and the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

An imaginary line called the equator divides the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The equator is also called 0° latitude. It runs east and west around Earth’s middle. Places north of the equator are part of the Northern Hemisphere. Places south of the equator are in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Northern Hemisphere includes North America, Central America, Europe, and mainland Asia. About half of Africa and a small part of South America are also in the Northern Hemisphere. The rest of Africa, most of South America, and all of Australia and Antarctica lie in the Southern Hemisphere.

Another imaginary line separates Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres. On one side of Earth, this line is called 0° longitude, or the prime meridian. It runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through western Europe, western Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. On the other side of Earth, the line is called 180° longitude. It runs from the North Pole to the South Pole through the Pacific Ocean.

The Western Hemisphere lies west of 0° longitude and east of 180° longitude. It includes North America and South America. The Eastern Hemisphere lies east of 0° longitude and west of 180° longitude. It includes almost all of Europe and Africa and all of Asia and Australia. About half of Antarctica lies in the Eastern Hemisphere, and about half lies in the Western Hemisphere.

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